Distance = 11 Miles; People Met = 14
For those folks I suggested to look at Days 102 and 103, should have said 101 (Redstone) and 102 …. but this is a good post as well.
On this Labor Day weekend it took us all day to go 11 miles because: we got a late start after our wonderful stay with George and the gang; we had a nice visit with Ginger in Crystal; and we met a lot of people and did a lot of talking.
We met Ann Marie and Matt, a couple with a very gentle Rottweiler. They are to be married next month. Congratulations!
Ann Marie and Matt
We first ran into Mark as he was breaking camp by a waterfall along Crystal River. He passed us as we were talking to Ann Marie and Matt. He was packed a bit awkwardly, including carrying a bundle in his arms, and we caught up to him. He worked for the USGS during the summer and was still looking for a means of support for the upcoming ski season. He looked and sounded as if he could have been on the XGames circuit. Perhaps he was.
Mark
Graham and Liz were packing light as they were heading up to stay at a friend’s cabin. They were from the Aspen area. Liz was the head of a nonprofit, though I did not find out which one. She confirmed my assertion that volunteerism is doing well; and seemed sympathetic to my plea that what we need more of is community involvement.
Graham and Liz
Steve Moss first passed us on his ATV going in the opposite direction. He chatted briefly then, but on his return trip he stopped and we talked longer. He likes to backpack for 4-5 days at a time and was interested in our pack weight. He mentioned he had a $500 tent that weighed less than two pounds, yet his pack weight for four days was about the same as ours. I suspect we tend to carry more food than most folks, even though I’ve lost 40 pounds.
Steve
We talked to Neal Henderson right after Steve left. Neal was another bow hunter from Texas. He had been to the area in the past with his father, but this was the first time he had his own tags for hunting. After patiently listening to us chat with Steve he was quite enthused about us. He offered us water; he offered us snacks; he offered us more snacks; he mentioned we could have more if we were going towards his camp. I believe he would have given us his bow if we asked him. Thanks, Neal!
Neal
Crystal was a former mining town on the river now owned by one man, a person that Ginger likes a lot! Ginger watched over the small gift store as a volunteer. She would not divulge her age, but I think it remarkable that she took up climbing for the first time 15 years ago and had already become a climbing instructor since that time. She asked how much our packs weighed. When I told her mine was about 40 pounds she commented she once carried packs up to 65 pounds. Of course I could not leave it at that and I mentioned that the heaviest pack I carried (during the 1977 PCT hike) was 102 pounds. Yep, that’s me, competing with a female senior citizen over heavy packs.
Ginger was virtually an interpretive guide for Crystal and told us one really neat story about how donkeys were once used.
